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How are all my lingerie enthusiasts doing? I started my new year with a mild flu and I am already dying of boredom – I want to go out and do stuff like hit the gym and go to burlesque practices! Now that I am staying inside for a while, I might just blog. I am actually quite excited for year 2018 when it comes to basically… everything! That means blogging as well. I am just a bit afraid that people are not interested in my blog anymore – I do hope there are some of you left there! At least most my subscribers are patiently waiting for my posts as I don’t think many have unsubscribed yet. Thank you a thousand times for that!

Today I am bringing you some new year loungewear/ bralette action. We all know the hot potato in the full-bust world has been the praised bralette trend that most of us cannot really take part in – bralettes are traditionally geared towards more small-busted people and thus the breezy light undergarments are something we don’t really have access to. However, over the past year or so a few brands have come up with bralettes that actually work for more full-busted women as well! The first bralette I got to try was the Freya “Fancies” collection bralette. Cha at Large Cup Lingerie heard about my interest to try a good full-bust bralette and offered to send me a couple to try. I was super excited and here are the results…

The Design: The Freya “Fancies” bralette comes in many different colourways, the newest one being the adorable Orchid colour which is very vibrant in flesh. I got to try the red and turquoise bralettes in sizes Small and Medium and kept the red Medium one for myself in the end. The Small turquoise bralette is with my friend Eeva and she thoroughly enjoys it as a UK size 30F/32E in regular bras. The Fancies bralette is available both in brights and in neutrals, so if you like a more toned-down shade such as black or navy, Large Cup Lingerie and Freya have you covered.

The bralette comes in regular dress sizes XS-XL and is supposed to fit a plethora of cup sizes. The bralette is a pull-over style which means it is not fastened at the back – this can be a tricky design decision for us small-band-big-cup needing women, but the materials are quite stretchy and thus the pull-over feature is not too bothersome. The bralette is made out of firm lined mesh and stretchier lace and the straps are pretty similar to a regular bra, just narrower than regular Freya bras would have in big cup sizes. The straps are fully-adjustable which means the style will suit both shorter and taller women alike.

The look of the bralette is quite simple but I like the simplicity with the fun colourways. I would love to see some prints, and different types and colours of laces though! Compared to other full-bust bralettes, I think the Fancies bralette is actually rather sexy which is always an upside for me.

The Fit: I wear bras in a range of 30-32 GG-HH at the moment so I have a big bust and still quite a small band size. I know a friend of mine who wears 2-3 bigger cup sizes than me and she wears a Large in the bralette, so I pretty much knew the Medium would fit me. However, Cha was so kind to send me both Small and Medium so I could compare them to each other.

The size Small was pretty good in the band (not tight whatsoever) but the “cups” were at least a couple of sizes too small. I would say the size Small bralette would best fit someone with a 30-32 band and cup sizes DD-FF, maybe G. The Medium is a bit of a reach with my usually 32GG bust, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with a bigger bust than mine. If I could put together size Small’s band section and size Large’s cup section, that would probably be the ideal fit for me. However, the Medium is definitely not bad and I literally wear the heck out of this thing almost everyday (I need more of these…)!

I would like to remind everyone that this is a bralette, NOT a bra that lifts and supports your throughout a long day at work. My breasts are rather self-supporting, so I don’t feel like I need more support when lounging around at home. However, if your breasts are soft and bigger than mine, I wouldn’t expect too much of this bralette – it truly is only something to keep the boob sweat at a bay and make you a bit more comfortable at home than your average bra.

Comfort: Yes, it is the most comfortable thing I have put on my boobs in a while! Of course – it is a rather well-fitting full-bust appropriate bralette after all. The materials are fine on my skin but if I was completely honest, I would rather have a cotton lining inside the bra than the same mesh as on the outside. I think the mesh has been an aesthetic choice mostly, as it gives the bralette a more sheer sexy look to it.

The Fancies bralette is very stretchy and I like the slightly taller band that lies nicely on the ribcage rather than distributing the weight of my chest only directly under my bust. I have protruding ribcage which means my upper ribs stick out a bit more than usual, so I love the stretchy lace longline that works well with both bones sticking out and bloating that comes with the unfortunate IBS I suspect having.

If you are a lingerie lover like myself, there is a chance you have heard of Bluebella. They are a woman-lead lingerie business in UK who sell mostly their own house brand and offer a fantastic selection of contemporary and boudoir-inspired lingerie pieces. I was over the moon when I first found out that they were coming out with a DD+ collection called “MORE” and in no time, there it was on their website. I was lusting after the strappy pieces that so many full-bust brands are still lacking in their collections and after a couple of days of scribbling a wishlist for myself, the lovely people at Bluebella contacted me and asked if I wanted to try a set from the new collection – and of course I did! I opted for the Asteria set in 32G and size 12 bottoms and here’s how I liked them…

Editor’s note: These pics are in black and white as the whole set is completely black and I liked the femme fatale look of it! Hope you don’t mind, my dear readers 😉

The Design: The Asteria bra is made completely out of black mesh, golden metal parts and black elastic strapping to finish off the look. The bra is double lined (as opposed to the bottoms which are completely sheer) but still remains a bit sheer – the materials feel very supportive and I love the sleek styling choices with the strappy bra strap/ back design. The whole set looks and feels much more expensive than it actually is – the bra costs an affordable £36 and the panties £18. The bra band features three hooks and eyes and the bra straps are attached to each other at the back with a small hook closure. This can be a bit tricky when getting the bra on and off (I usually ask my bf to help!) but it looks stunning when closed!

The shape of the bra is phenomenal for such a new DD+ brand – I have never seen a new full-bust brand making such rounded yet naturally curving bra cups so I am truly astonished. The shape of the bra reminds me a bit of the SM shape by Ewa Michalak but not as much in-your-face and forward-projecting. Even with the extravagant strappy styling this bra is a great everyday option as the shape of it is natural and the cup design so simple it goes really well even under a thinner jersey material.

Fit: I went for the 32G with the bra as Bluebella did not offer any 30 bands and the cups stop at UK G-cup – I am glad I didn’t have the option to choose otherwise though! This size is absolutely perfect on me and I wouldn’t change it even if I had the choice. The thing is, my underbust measurement has recently ballooned closer to 32 (probably due to both BodyPump and some pizza-loving, hehe) and the Asteria bra band only stretches up to 32″ or so. So I would advice to size up with the band if you are between sizes! The cups seem to run a full cup size big, so I would suggest going a cup size down with them. This is great news to any GG-ladies out there!

The cups are very well constructed and quite deep and narrow for a British brand design. I would say they are actually a perfect fit for me! The wires encase my breast tissue fully without being too high, wide or rigid, meaning the bra stays comfy throughout the day. The centre gore tacks me well and comes just high enough to keep my boobs from falling out of the bra but also low enough to go well under most of my shirts and dresses.The straps are half-adjustable but I haven’t really even done any adjusting on them as they were the perfect length for me straight outta box.

Comfort: Ever since I got the bra set (which is not that long ago) I have been wearing this set A LOT. It is very comfortable and stays that way for so many hours, I don’t even want to take it off when I get home. It makes me feel both physically and mentally amazing! The materials are high-quality and the straps stay up really well due to the hook-closure design on the back. My only real gripe with the bra is that the cups are a bit high on the sides which makes the edge near my armpit chafe against my skin a tiny bit when lying on my side (you should never sleep in your bras anyway but I took a nap the other day in this bra – oopsie!). However, in regular use (ie standing up) the bra does not irritate my skin at all.

I got the Asteria bottoms in size 12 and it was definitely the right choice for me. If you consult the size chart, you will probably get the bottoms size right as it pointed me at the right direction. My hip measurement is 40″ and the size 12 is meant for 39″ hips – even stretching it with an inch the bottoms fit me well and I love how they compliment the set with the strappy side design. The rise is also a good one for me – it’s a bit higher than eg with Cleo which is ideal in my opinion.

If you would like to get to know MORE yourself, please check out Bluebella’s online store for that. The shipping options at Bluebella are extremely cheap – only £3,95 to US and free if you spend over £30 – so I would definitely take the plunge and order something to try out! I am quite sure you won’t be disappointed 😉 The size range is 32-38 DD-G and the panties come in UK sizes 8-16.

I have always been a huge Bravissimo fan – even before I actually popped into their store in Liverpool I knew they were famous for their fitting service and a lovely selection of the best brands for a fuller bust. When I finally fulfilled my lifelong dream of living in UK, I knew I had to make a visit to my nearest store in Bold Street (the absolute best street in Liverpool btw!). The ladies at the store were very helpful and also gave me and my American fellow Leah a bra fitting that took my dear friend from being a 34C to her “real” size of 30F. Leah ended up walking out of the store with a classic Bravissimo in-house style “Satine” which looked so lovely on her.

Fast-forward to today, I finally got my chance to try this classic style myself when Bravissimo contacted me and asked if I wanted to try Satine for myself. Seeing it on Leah I knew it would be a great sexy addition to my lingerie collection, so of course I said yes! Here’s how I liked the new Satine In Bloom by Bravissimo’s house brand.

Excuse me for the headlessness, my straightener just resigned itself and I was wearing toilet paper rolls on my head 😀

Design: Satine is usually a quite simple yet sexy style – it always comes in a shiny satin-y material and a plunge shape – but this time I was thrilled to see it in such a pretty floral print. The print looks a bit Asian-inspired which made it feel a lot more unique and the colouring was just lovely – different tones of China red and pink splashed on the granite grey background. I was so pleased to see the vibrant shades come alive when I saw the bra in flesh; the pics on Bravissimo website or even mine don’t do the colours true justice.

The shape of the bra is a true plunge; the cups are made of three parts with one vertical and one horizontal seam. The look of the bra is very uplifted and also quite natural on me. The cups look a tad pointier than some of my other plunge bras but work well with most of my dresses. This is the exact kind of style that I am always looking for: something very low-cut that doesn’t show under plunging necklines. The cleavage is not super prominent so I see Satine as a great option for everyday wear as well.

Fit: As the Bravissimo team told me they would like me to try the Satine I was a bit hesitant at first. Not that I don’t love the style – it’s just that extreme plunge shapes like this tend to cut into my upper fullness. However the result was clearly not that bad when I tried the bra on – it was a little tight on my bigger breast but definitely not so much to doom it as a bad fit. I still think the bra would suit best someone with a little less upper fullness so you full-on-bottom ladies, do try the Satine! The cups were deep enough for me though and I really like how projected my boobs look in them. The cup on my bigger boob folds a tiny bit at the bottom which tells me it’s not quite deep enough there but that is very common with my other padded bras as well and doesn’t bother me at all.

The band of the bra is super comfortable and supportive! I have been having some issues with brands making their bands too narrow for my 30GG/H bust to feel supported and I am so happy Bravissimo makes their GG+ bras with three hooks and eyes. The band felt very snug at first but loosened up a bit as I wore it a few times.

When it comes to sizing, Bravissimo house-brand seems to running on the smaller side. I am still very solidly between GG and H and I decided to go for 30H based on the feedback I saw online. Many of my busty sisters have tried the Satine and reported its cups to run small-ish which is why I went for my bigger size. I am so glad I did as the bra fits me quite well even though the shape is rather closed on top! The band however seems to run true-to-size so a lovely snug 30 fits me really perfectly.

Comfort: From all aspects of the Satine set, the comfort takes the trophy home. I actually was stupid enough to do some intense dancing around our apartment yesterday without a sports bra on but I actually did quite well with Satine as it’s a sturdy little number with a comfy band and wide-enough straps. Even though I was shaking it to the Anaconda, like hardcore, my boobs didn’t fall out of the bra and or punch me in the face while jumping. Also the straps haven’t fallen off my shoulders a single time so that’s definitely a plus!

What I was very thrilled about this bra set was the thoughtfully picked out materials – the cups are lined with cotton (always a plus for me!) and the satin feels amazing to touch. I also adore the panties; they cover my butt really well and still manage to look sexy with the back being completely made out of mesh. The rise is perfect and my usual size UK 10 fitted me spot-on.

All in all, I am pretty impressed with the Bravissimo house brand and Satine in Bloom! From now on I won’t be hesitant to try other styles as well. If you are on a lookout for something cute and sexy for Christmas, do give Satine a chance; it comes in sizes 28-38 DD-J so the size range is amazing too. The bra retails for affordable £32 and the brief for £16.

Has anyone of you tried Satine and how did you like it? What about other Bravissimo styles? Let me know in the comments! xx

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